Power Rangers: Dirty Laundry
by Hawki
Summary: Beast Morphers Oneshot: Spend enough time getting dirt off uniforms, some of the dirt will stay on you. Even when your own 'uniform' becomes that of a power ranger.


**Dirty Laundry**

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Zoey Reeves doesn't know who said that. But whoever they were, as far as she's concerned, they were right on the money. Because over the last few weeks, things have changed for her in so many ways. And in just as many, she feels that she's in the same place she was before this madness started.

She's a member of the Grid Battleforce. She _was _a member of the Grid Battleforce before her life changed, thank you very much. Granted, she was on laundry duty, which meant that her service to the force began and ended with taking, washing, and delivering uniforms (uniforms that were much fancier than hers), but she did it. After all, if you're protecting the energy supply of Coral Harbour, if you're protecting the Morphing Grid itself, you want to look fancy while doing it. Like, not as fancy as the rangers that have been protecting this planet since before she was even born, but still…"clothes make the man," as the saying states. She doesn't know who said that either, but she figures they make the woman as well. Because certainly since her 'clothes' have changed, she's changed with them. Or at least the world's perception of her.

She's the yellow ranger now. When she swore that she'd climb up from laundry duty, she never thought she'd climb that high, or climb that fast. Maybe it's the jackrabbit DNA in her coming round full circle, retroactively letting her climb the ranks with the jump. Or, more likely, she was in the right place at the right time, along with Devon. Or, according to who one asks, the wrong place. Because the Grid Battleforce might present itself as one big happy family, fighting for truth, justice, and hope in the tradition of rangers past, but she's worked here long enough to know the truth. Battleforce is like any other military organization (heck, any organization, period), and there's always going to be politics involved. And right now, she's on the receiving end.

She can feel it, as she walks through Battleforce HQ. The way people look at her, before they look away. The way people stop talking when she passes by them. The way the other laundry staff outright ask "you enjoying being a ranger" or "so when Roxy's saved, what you gonna do?" They all know, as well as she does, that she was never meant to wear the yellow. They know that she was in the wrong/right place in the wrong/right time, and if things were a little different, Nate could have bonded morph-x with them instead. Maybe, if the world was a little more just, they could have been among the annals of Power Rangers history.

They don't look at Devon like that, she notices. Maybe it's because he's the mayor's son. Maybe it's because they admire that someone could actually sneak into HQ and be in the wrong/right (in his case, right) place at the right time. She doesn't know. She doesn't say. Not to Devon, not to Ravi (whom she can tell is trying to be polite), and not even to Nate, no matter how much she wants to. At times, walking these halls, her hands no longer pushing a laundry cart…she misses it. She misses wearing a Battleforce uniform and not yet another shade of yellow clothing that a civilian could wear. She misses walking through these halls, taking clothes to be washed, and not feeling so…_dirty_.

It's why she finds herself loving the moments when she puts on the suit. It comes and goes through the power of the morphing grid. The suit doesn't need washing. The suit remains pure. She wears the suit, and when she does so, fighting for Coral Harbour and the world, that she didn't get it just by a fluke. When she wears the suit, people aren't looking at Zoey Reeves, they're looking at the Yellow Beast Morpher Ranger. They're looking at a hero, not for someone who's just filling in until the real hero arrives.

There's another saying that you can't go home again. Again, Zoey doesn't know who said it, but it's another saying that's proven true. Every time that she de-morphs and returns to Battleforce HQ. As cadets and staff clap. As they fall silent. As they politely congratulate her before returning to duties. Duties that, before this little quirk of circumstance, were far more important than hers.

She wonders when she'll crack. Turns out it isn't long, as she passes down one of the many hallways and has a pile of stinking shirts put in her hands.

"Take these down to laundry, would you Reeves?"

She stands, in shock, looking at the Battleforce member who passed her by. Part of her wants to just obey.

"Hey."

The other part (maybe it's the jackrabbit?) causes her tongue to outpace her brain. Causing the teen to look around at her.

"Take your own damn laundry," she says, tossing it back into his hands.

He frowns. "You're really gonna do this?"

Zoey glances around. Quite a few staff members are looking on. Fights aren't common (Shaw's punishments tend to be worse than any broken noses), but when they happen, they draw a crowd. Question is, is this going to be a fight, or is she going to do something less stupid?

"I'm not your laundry girl," she says. "Either find one, or go down to laundry yourself."

He smirks. "Yeah yeah, I get it. Reeves is all riding high on our promotion. Thinks she's better than the rest of us."

She glances around – given the look on people's faces, they're thinking the same thing.

"And hey, sure – if I became a ranger, I might act like a jackass as well." He begins walking towards her, that smirk of his getting wider. "But don't worry – we'll all remember little Zoey, before she got the morph-x and grew up."

He ruffles her hair and walks by her. People start moving away, now that a fight hasn't broken out. And she knows that she can take the high road and just walk on. Maybe train with Devon, or talk science with Nate, or try and smooth things over with Ravi. She can do the right thing, which in this case, would also be the easy thing.

Instead she tackles the bastard to the ground and begins pummelling him. It isn't elegant. It isn't befitting. But damn if it doesn't feel good.

"Reeves!"

Or at least it does until she sees Commander Shaw walking down the hallway with two security guards. The cadets stand to attention. The guy she beat to a pulp gets to his feet, glaring at her as blood pours from his nose. And Zoey feels like she's ready to die.

"Ma'am," the boy says. "Reeves just-"

"Medical," Shaw grunts.

"But ma'am…" He trails off, as Shaw glares at him. "Yes ma'am. Of course, ma'am. Medical it is ma'am."

Shaw nods. "What's that you got there?"

"Dirty laundry ma'am."

"Hmm." Shaw holds out her hands, and while looking puzzled, he gives it to her. He leaves with security, while Shaw turns her eyes to Zoey. Like a spider looking at a fly, if a spider could hold a dirty uniform.

"Anything you want to say Reeves?"

Zoey lowers her gaze, unable to meet Shaw's eyes. "No ma'am," she whispers.

"Louder, Reeves."

"No ma'am," she repeats, this time slightly louder.

"Look at me Reeves."

Zoey does so. She actually hopes to see some kindness or some sympathy in Commander Shaw's eyes, but no such luck. In one eye shines anger. In the other, disappointment.

"Clean these," Shaw says, handing her the laundry. "And every other uniform in the laundromat."

"Ma'am, that-"

"And clean your damn head as well while you're at it." Shaw looks around the gathered crowd. "As you were."

The crowd begins to disperse, and Zoey is left alone. Feeling ashamed. Feeling dirty. Feeling like she's well on the road to go back to square one.

And knowing that the Grid Battleforce will never see her as being anything more than just a laundry girl.

* * *

_A/N_

_Bearing in mind that all I've seen of _Beast Morphers _are a few clips, if there's any major discrepencies here (like, beside the obvious liberties taken), that's the reason why._


End file.
